Coin-controlled electric meter.



PATENTED APR. 7, 1903.

1 R. E. BATES: 4 GOIN'GONTROLLED ELECTRIC METER.

' APPLICATION FILED LIAN. 14, 1901.

4'SHEETS.SHBET 1.

I 110 MODEL.

' WJTNESSESW No. 724,654. L PATENTED'APR. 7, 1903.

R. E. BATES.

v 00m CONTROLLED ELECTRIC METER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 14, 1901.

$746M Wi/M PATENTED APR. 7., 1903.

' R. E. BATES.

COIN CONTROLLED ELECTRIC METER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 14, 1901.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3 N0 MODEL.

JNVEN'TOR; 5

law Qua WITNESSES .No. 724,654; PATENTED APR. '7, 1903.

R. E. BATES. COIN CONTROLLED ELECTRIC METER,

NO MODEL-B APPLICATION FILED JAN. 14, 1901.

7 5 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4. u Q l l W 5 i3 7 WITNESSES m UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

RALPH BATES, OF WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF TWO- FIFTHS TOHORACE VAN EVEREN, OF CAMBRIDGE,.MASSACHUSETTS.

COIN-CONTROLLEDELECTRIC METER.

SPECIFICATION forming'part of Letters Patent No. 724,654, dated Apr I17,1903.

Application filed January 14, 1901. Serial No. 43,174. (No model.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH E. BATES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Winchester, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts,have invented certain new and 'useful Improvements inCoin-Controlled Elec tric Meters; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

The present invention relates to an improvement in coin-controlledelectric meters.

Heretofore, so far as I am aware, coin-controlled electric meters havebeen open to various objections. Some depended upon the mere weight ofthe coin to close an auxiliary,

circuit in which a magnet was included to actuate the main switch, somedepended on clockwork which was tripped by the coin, some depended onthe coin as the conductor to close the auxiliary circuit, some requiredthe insertion of a new coin at the time when the amount of current paidfor by the previous coin was consumed, and others required a separatemanual actuation for each coin inserted, all of which constructions areobjectionable, for reasons apparent to those skilled in this art.

The object of my invention is to reorganize and improve coin-controlledelectric meters to obviate the objections which obtain against priormeters of this class. I have produced a meter in which the main switch,

so long as a coin is present to pay for current,

will be maintained closed, or, in other words, in which all that isnecessary to be done by the consumer in order to keep the current turnedon is to keep a coin or any desired number of coins in the slot withoutany other manual operations whatever.

Other objects of my invention are to produce a coin-controlled mechanismcapable of being used in connection with any ordinary recording-wattmeter, to use a knife-switch for the main circuit, to produce anefficient escapement for the coins adapted to be operated electricmeters in various other details hereinafter specifically described.

To the above ends the present invention consists in the coin-controlledelectric meter hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanyingdrawings, illustrating the preferred form of myinvention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improvement incoin-controlled electric meters. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of thecoin-controlled mech- 6o anism with the cover-plate removed. Fig. 3

is a sectional plan on the line mm, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the principal parts of thecoin-controlled mechanism and main switch. Fig. 5 is a perspective viewof the main-switch detent. 'Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the lowerpart of the coin-chute. Fig. 7 is a rear elevation, partially insection,

of part of the wattmeter. Fig. 8 is a plan of the same. Figs. 9, 10, and11 illustrate in perspective details hereinafter referred to, and Fig.12 is a diagram illustrating the electrio circuits.

My invention contemplates a coin-receiver adapted to receive and hold anumber of coins pending the consumption of acorresponding amount ofcurrent, metering mechanism, a main switch, means for holding the mainswitch closed, and releasing mechanism con nected with the meteringmechanism and disconnected from the holding means by "the coins in thecoin-receiver for releasing the holding means when an amount of currentcorresponding to the number of coins in the coin-receiver has beenconsumed. It will be noted that as long as a coin remains or coinsremain in the coin receiver the releasing means will remain inoperativeto release the holding means for the main switch.

My invention contemplates a coin-cono trolled electric meter adapted toholdanumber of coins ready to pay for current to be consumed and tosubtract them as the current is consumed, operating automatically whenthe coins are exhausted to open the 5 main switch. I have provided anescapement for the coins operated from the meter for subtracting coinsfrom the coin-receiver whenever an amount of current corresponding tothe coin has been consumed. Thus :00

meter.

the metering mechanism attempts whenever an amount of currentcorresponding to the coin has been consumed to open the main switch; butso long as there remains an additional coin or remain additional coinsin the coin-receiver the'attempt is prevented of successfulaccomplishment by such additional coin or coins.

So far as I am aware I am the first to produce a coin-controlledelectric meter operating automatically on the consumption of eachcoin-value amount of current to attempt to release the main switchhaving means to prevent such release by the presence of additional coinor coins.

I believe I am the first to produce a coincontrolled electric meterhaving means to release the main switch connected with the meteringmechanism and controlled by the coins in the coin-receiver.

My invention is broad and generic in charaeter and is not limited to anyspecific form of mechanism and arrangement of circuits, as anyequivalent construction and arrangement of circuits is within thepurviewof my invention.

The illustrated embodiment of my invention shown in the accompanyingdrawings is described as follows:

The wattmeter a, which may beof any de sired form of motor-wattmeter, isillustrated as the well-known Thomson recording-watt- Thecoin-controlled mechanism or, as it may be termed, the prepayment deviceis contained'in the box I), having the coin-receiving slot 0, theswitch-handle d, the coin-sight window e, the seal-lug f, and sealnut71.

Fig. 1 illustrates the preferred arrangement of meter and prepaymentdevice; but, if desired, the two parts of my apparatus may be locatedapart from each other.

The coin-receiver is the chute t, supported by the bossesj and 70,leading from the slot 0 across the box and discharging its contents intoa drawerZ, provided for that purpose.

The main switch 3 is adapted to be closed by hand and held closed by adetent 2; so long as coins are present in the coin-receiver i. This mainswitch 8 carries the insulated conductor-blade s, which is adapted toconnect the contact-clips u and 11., supported on the back of the box byinsulating-block m. The main switch 8 is carried by a hub looselymounted on the shaft q, projected forward from the back of the box, anda spring r engaging the hole r normally tends to open the main switch.The main switch may be operated directly by the person inserting thecoin to move it from its open to its closed position, and such aconstruction is within the scope of my invention viewed in its broaderaspects; but as outside means might be employed to hold the switchclosed, and thus to obtain current without payment therefor, I prefer toprovide a secondary switch, which when the handle dis operated to closethe main switch will be opened coincidently with or prior to the closingof the main switch.

The secondary switch 1" consists of an insulated conductor-blade 1",mounted on a hub 1", also loosely mounted on the shaft q and which isadapted to connect the contactclips n and a similarly supported on theback of the box by the insulating-block u and a spring r engaging thehole 0' normally tends to close the secondary switch. The hub r isprovided with a slot r which is engaged by the correspondingly-shapedprojection (1 of the handle (1, by which means the secondary switch iscapable of being operated. The main switch sis oifset from its hub, asshown, so that its plane of movement is identical with the plane ofmovement of the secondary switch 1'. As a result when the secondaryswitch is opened by the handle the main switch will be closed.The'handle d is received in a bearing in the cover g and held in placeby a collar d, secured to the spindle of the handle by a set-screw d.

The means for holding the main switch 3 closed consists of the detent'0, pivoted on the back of the coin-chutet' and provided on one end withthe book '1) and on the other end 0 wit-h a cam 0 A spring 11 engagingat one end the detent o and at the other the pin 0 normally tends tomove the detent in the direction to cause the hook o to engage the pint, projected from the side of the main switch 8.

The means for releasing the main-switchholding means comprise devicesconnected with the metering mechanism and controlled by coins in thecoin-receiver. While any means connecting the releasing means with themetering mechanism is in its broader aspects within the scope of myinvention, I prefer, because of its convenience and simplicity, toemploy a shunt-circuit, a solenoid,

and a coin-escapement actuated by the solenoid for releasing the holdingmeans for the main switch controlled by the coins in the coin-chute.

The coin-escapement 'rt consists of a lever pivoted by the screw 'n tothe bell-crank lever 19, provided with the slot 0', adapted to beengaged by the stop-pin r loosely mounted on the hub r of the secondaryswitch 1". The escapement is provided with two tap'pets n and 71?,adapted to engage, respectively, the first and second coins in thecoin-chute v The coin-escapement is adapted to move transverselyunder'the coin-chute, the tappet n being moved from opposite the mouthof the chute to permit the first coin to drop into the coin-drawer Z atthe same time that the tappet n enters the notch i and supports thecoin-escapement is provided on its rear with a pin M, which is adaptedto engage the cam v of the detent o, and a spring 0 is provided, whichnormally tends to lift the coin-escapement so that the pin a may engagethe cam 11 of the detent o, and the strength of the spring 0 is suchthat a single coin will depress the coin-escapement to lower the pin abelow the cam v The spring 0 may be adjusted by moving its lower end toengage the proper notch in the lower side of the escapement. A support2" is provided for the escapement n to rest upon when it is depressed bya coin.

The above-described arrangement is such that each reciprocation of theescapement 0?. allows a single coin to drop from the coinchute into thecoin-drawer, that so long as a coin is or coins are present in thecoin-chute the escapement is prevented from releasing the detent for themain switch, and that upon the discharge of the last coin from thecoin-chute the escapement will be raised by its spring and its pin nwill engage the detent and release the holding means for the mainswitch. The escapement is operated by a solenoid m, provided with apole-piece m and a core 0, normally supported by a spring m the corebeing pivoted to one arm of the crank-lever p. When the solenoid isenergized, it attracts the core and operates the bell-crank lever 17 tomove the escapement to subtract a coin from the coin-chute. Thisescapement-solenoid is energized by the closing of a shunt-circuitthrough it by the metering mechanism. For reasons apparent to thoseskilled in the art it is desirable that the shunt-circuit should beclosed for as short a space of time as is sufficient to operate theescape-ment, and so I prefer to employ the peculiar make-and-breakdevice illustrated in the drawings, which operates to close theshunt-circuit and immediately thereafter to open the same again, and anysuitable makeand-break device is within the purview of my invention andis intended to be covered by the claims including such an element,except where I have expressly limited them to include aninstantaneously-acting make-andbreak device, in which case anyequivalent instantaneously-acting make-and-break device would be coveredthereby.

The instantaneously acting make andbreak device illustrated inthe'drawings consists of the solenoid w, mounted on'the frame to of themetering mechanism by means of the bracket 10 This make-and-breaksolenoid is also included in the shunt-circuit and acts to open thecircuit as soon as it has been closed. It is provided with thepole-piece w perforated by the longitudinal hole 10 to receive the rodto, of non-magnetic material, such as brass, attached to the armature 10To the upper end of the rod to is attached the brush holder 10 providedwith the hole y", which slides on the pin 1 thereby holding thebrush-holder from-displace ment. Dependent spring-brushes y aresupported from the two ears 10 and 10 of the brush-holder,beinginsulated from each other and from the brush-holder by theinsulatingbushings 11. Binding-posts y are provided for each brush,which also serve as the supports for the brushes. Mounted on anysuitable rotating part of the metering mechanism and preferably on oneof the dial-spindles is the drum g of insulating material, against thesurface of which the brushes are pressed by their inherent elasticity.Upon one side of the drum is placed the contact-strip 111 just belowthesurface thereof, so that when the drum rotates to the position shown inFig. 7 the brushes jump off the step 2 and fall sud. denly upon thecontact-strip y, thereby closing the shunt-circuit and energizing boththe solenoids m and w, The solenoid w attracts its armature 10 therebylifting the brushholder .w and with it the brushes y, so that theyspring ofi the contact-strip g and fall on the step 2 of the drum,thereby instantaneously breaking the shunt-circuit immediately after ithas been closed. With the closing of the shunt-circuit the solenoid mmoved the escapement to the right and one coin was subtracted from thecoins in the coin-chute, and with the subsequent breaking of theshuntcircuit the escapement was returned by the spring m to its originalposition. If the last coin was subtracted from the coin-chute, theescapement on the dropping of the coin was lifted by its spring, and onthe return movement of the escapement the pin a would engage the detentand release the main switch, thus permitting its spring to open it andturn off the current.

By reference to Fig. 12, illustrating the field-coil z of the meteringmechanism, its armature-commutator z, the armature-shunt tapped at 2 forthe prepayment device shunt extending through the brushes y,contactstrip y, solenoids w and m, and the mainswitch clips u u, andsecondary-switch clips a u the connections are made plain.

IIO

The operation of -the illustratedembodiment of my invention is asfollows: Upon the insertion of a coinin the coin-receiver i the lever nis depressed by the weight of the coin and the pin a is withdrawn fromcontact with the cam-surface o of the detent 'v, and the latter ispermitted to be moved by its spring 11 into the position shown in Fig.2. The handle d is now turned to the right, thereby first opening thesecondaryswitch r and then closing the main switch 8, which will be heldclosed by the detent o engaging the pin 15 on the side of the mainswitch 3. Upon letting go of the handle d the secondary switch 1' willbe closed by its spring and the current will be turned on. The partswill then-occupy the positionsshown in Fig.2. When the meteringmechanism has run until the brushes y fall upon the contact-strip 3 ofthe step-drum the sh unt-circuit through the solenoids m and subtractthe coin from the coin-receiver. The weight of the coin being removedfrom the lever 71,, it will be raised by the spring and its pin a uponthe return stroke of the lever will engage the detent o and swing it tounlock the main switch 8, which will be immediately opened by itsspring, and the current will be turned off. If there is more than onecoin in the coin-receiver, the second coin will engage the tappet n ofthe lever 12. before the tappet n was relieved of the weight of thefirst coin, and so the levern being held down the only action of thecoin-escapement will be to subtract a coin from the coin-receiver. Uponthe return of the escapement the second coin will fall on the tappet 12So long, therefore, as one coin remains in the coin-receiver the currentwill remain turned on, and upon the consumption or each .coin -valueamount of current a coin will be subtracted from the coin-receiver, andat each subtraction of a coin the attempt will be made to release themain-switch-holding means, and when the last coin is subtracted thecurrent will be turned off.

It is to be noted that, if desired, two or more coins may be subtractedfrom the coinreceiver at each operation of the escapement.

- It is also to be noted that a construction in which the release of theholding means for the main switch is controlled rather than actuated bythe coin-escapement is within the purview of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. Acoin-controlled electric meter, having, incombination, metering mechanism, a main switch, a coin-receiver, meansto hold the main switch closed, means to release the holding meansconnected with the metering mechanism and disconnected from the holdingmeans by the coins in the coin-receiver, substantially as described.

2. A coin-controlled electric meter, having, in combination, meteringmechanism, a main switch, a coinreceiver, means to hold the main switchclosed, means to release the holding means controlled by the meteringmechanism and disconnected from the holding means by a coin or coins inthe coin-receiver and thereby prevented from accomplishing such release,substantially as described.

3. A coin-controlled electric meter, having, in combination, meteringmechanism, a main switch, means to hold the main switch closed, acoin-receiver, and means controlled by the metering mechanism forsubtracting coins from the coin-receiver having provision to release theholding means when the last coin is delivered from the coin-receiver,substantially as described.

4. Acoin-controlled electric meter, having, in combination, meteringmechanism, a main switch, a coin-receiver, means to hold the main switchclosed, and means controlled by themetering mechanism and by the coinsin in combination, metering mechanism, a main.

switch, a coin-receiver, means to hold the main switch closed, and meanscontrolled by the metering mechanism to subtract one coin at a time fromthose contained in the coinreceiver and having provision to release theholding means upon the subtraction of the last coin from thecoin-receiver, substantially as described.

7. Acoin-controlled electric meter, having, in combination, a mainswitch and a secondary switch in series, means for successively openingthe secondary switch and closing the main switch, and coin-controlledmeans for holding the main switch closed, substantially as described.

8. A coin-controlled electric meter, having, in combination, acoin-receiver, a main switch and a secondary switch in series, andcoincontrolled means for holding the main switch closed inoperative inthe absence of a coin or coins from the coin-receiver, substantially asdescribed.

9. A coin-controlled electric meter, having, in combination, meteringmechanism, a main switch, a coin -receiver, means to hold the mainswitch closed, a coin-escapement having provision to release themain-switch-holding means, a magnet for actuatingthe escapement, anescapement-circuit and a make-andbreak device in said circuit,controlled by the metering mechanism, substantially as described.

10. A coin-controlled electric meter, having, in combination, meteringmechanism, a main switch,a coin-receiver, means to hold the main switchclosed, a coin-escapement having provision to release the mainswitch-holding means, a magnet for actuating the escapement, anescapement-circuit, and an instantaneously-acting make-and-break devicein said circuit controlled by the metering mechanism, substantially asdescribed.

11. A coincontrolled electric meter, having, in combination, a mainswitch and a secondary switch in series, means for successively openingthe secondary switch and closing the main switch, means for closing thesecondary switch after the main switch is closed, and coin-controlledmeans for holding the main switch closed, substantially as described.

12. A coin-controlled electric meter, having, in combination, acoin-receiver, a main switch and a secondary switch in series,manually-controlled means for closing the main switch, means for holdingthe main switch closed having provision rendering it inoperative in theabsence of a coin or coins in the coin-receiver, substantially asdescribed.

13. A coin-controlled electric meter, having, in combination, a mainswitch and a secondary switch in series, means for successively openingthe secondary switchand closing the main switch, and coin controlledmeans for holding the main switchclosed, substantially as described.

14. A coin-controlled electric meter, having, in combination, meteringmechanism, a main switch and a secondary switch in series, means forsuccessively opening the secondary switch and closing the main switch,means to hold the main switch closed, and means connected with themetering mechanism and controlled by said metering mechanism inconnection with the coins in the coin-receiver to release the holdingmeans, substantially as described.

15. A coin-controlled electric meter, having, in combination, meteringmechanism, a coin-receiver, a main switch normally free to be turned bythe operator, means to hold the main switch closed, and means connectedwith the metering mechanism and the coins in the coin-receiver torelease the holding means, substantially as described.

16. A coin-controlled electric meter, having, in combination, meteringmechanism, a coin-receiver, a main switch, a latch to hold the mainswitch closed, and a device caused to be operated by the meteringmechanism to subtract a coin from the coin-receiver when current ofvalue equivalent thereto has been consumed and to open the latch, saiddevice being provided with a portion adapted to engage and arrest asubsequent coin and to be acted upon thereby so as to prevent theopening of the latch, substantially as described.

17. A coin-controlled electric meter, having, in combination, meteringmechanism, a coin-receiver, a manually-operative main switch, a deviceto hold the main switch closed, a coin-escapement, means normallyholding the coin-escapement in operative relation to the holding deviceto prevent said device from engaging the main switch, the escapementbeing constructed to be engaged and moved by a coin in the coin-receiverto permit the holding device to engage and hold the main switch, meansactuated by the metering mechanism for operating the escapelng, incombination, a main switch and a secondary switch in series,coin-controlled means to hold the main switch closed, means normallyacting to hold the main switch open, and means to close the main switchconnected with the secondary switch and operating to open the secondaryswitch upon the closing of the main switch, substantially as described.

19. A coin-controlled electric meter, having, in combination, acoin-receiver, a main switch and a secondary switch inseries,coincontrolled means for holding the main switch closed, and means foropening the main switch, unless held closed by the holding means, whenthe secondary switch is closed, substantially as described.

20. A coin-controlled electric meter, having, in combination, acoin-receiver, a main switch and a secondary switch in series,manually-controlled means for operating them, and coinrcontrolled meansfor preventing the closing of both switches in the absence of a coinor'coins from the coin-receiver, substantially as described.

21. A coin-controlled electric meter, having, in combination, amanually-operated main switch, means for opening the main switch, acoin-receiver, metering mechanism, a magnetically-operatedcoin-escapement connected with the metering mechanism provided with.a'spring-supported lever interposed in the path of the coins in thecoinreceiver, said spring acting to lift said lever when the last coinhas been subtracted and upon its return movement to release the openingmeans for the main switch, substantially as described.

22. A coin-controlled electric meter, hav- I00 ing, in combination, amain switch, acoinreceiver, a coin-escapement, metering mechanism forcausing the coin-escapement to be actuated upon the consumption ofcurrent equivalent to each coin value, of means nor- In testimonywhereof I affix my signature no in presence of two witnesses.

RALPH E. BATES.

Witnesses:

HORACE VAN EVEREN, ALFRED H. HILDRETH.

